Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Iran conflict
Israel's recent military strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment site has raised international alarm about nuclear safety, although Iranian authorities report no immediate signs of elevated radiation levels, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA underlined that “armed attacks on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences, within and beyond the boundaries of the State, which has been attacked”.
On Friday, IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, confirmed the agency had been notified of the military operation. He described the event as "deeply concerning" and reiterated the international legal stance that attacks on nuclear facilities constitute a violation of both international law and the principles outlined by the United Nations Charter.
"Any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond," Mr Grossi said, calling for "maximum restraint to avoid further escalation".
Iranian nuclear authorities reported to the IAEA that the Natanz site was directly impacted, but reassured the agency that radiation levels remain normal. Limited damage has been reported to the Isfahan and Fordow facilities, Iran's other significant nuclear sites.
Understanding radiation
This incident has brought renewed scrutiny on the safety protocols around nuclear facilities and broader risks associated with radioactive materials. Professor Wade Allison, a radiation expert from Oxford University who previously advised the BBC following the Fukushima nuclear incident in 2011, highlighted widespread misconceptions around radiation hazards.
"Radiation is everywhere, including our own bodies," Prof Allison told The National, stressing that everyday encounters with low-level radiation, such as those found in medical settings, are common and generally harmless. "Only huge internal doses are fatal. Otherwise, radiation is easily avoided."
However, Prof Allison cautioned against complacency. While noting nuclear fuel "will never 'go off' by mistake" due to the complexities of ignition, he acknowledged the anxiety surrounding nuclear facilities and the lack of public education on radiation safety.
This, he said, "leads to fear and panic". Professor Allison added that nuclear threats often spark undue alarm precisely because nuclear science and radiation safety are inadequately taught in schools, unlike, hazards such as fire or tsunamis.
Lessons of the past
The World Nuclear Association told The National that the event isn't something that they would be able to comment on. However, a paper by the body on the safety of nuclear power reactors published in February showed that the consequence of even the worst realistic scenarios – core melting and containment failure – "can cause few if any deaths to the public, regardless of the scenario that led to the core melt and containment failure."
According to data from the association, there have been two major reactor accidents in the history of civil nuclear power – Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima Daiichi in 2011.
Chernobyl involved an intense fire without provision for containment, and Fukushima Daiichi severely tested the containment, allowing some release of radioactivity.
Diplomatic stakes
The Natanz incident highlights long-standing tensions between Israel and Iran, whose nuclear programme remains controversial and heavily scrutinised. The IAEA has faced challenges accessing complete information on Iran's nuclear activities, complicating international oversight efforts.
Grossi reiterated that the IAEA remains committed to ensuring nuclear sites remain exclusively peaceful. He indicated readiness to deploy additional technical experts to ensure the continued security of nuclear materials, underscoring the importance of dialogue and diplomatic channels in resolving nuclear disputes.
The IAEA Board of Governors are expected to convene at the Agency's headquarters on Monday for “an urgent session of the IAEA Board of Governors on the matter related to the Israeli attacks against the Iranian nuclear facilities that are under the IAEA safeguards”.
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Australia men's Test cricket fixtures 2021/22
One-off Test v Afghanistan:
Nov 27-Dec 1: Blundstone Arena, Hobart
The Ashes v England:
Dec 8-12: 1st Test, Gabba, Brisbane
Dec 16-20: 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (day/night)
Dec 26-30: 3rd Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jan 5-9, 2022: 4th Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Jan 14-18: 5th Test, Optus Stadium, Perth
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Continental champions
Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)
Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)
Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)
Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Hachette Books
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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